Men’s Basketball: Attendance Increase Eighth In Nation

Men’s Basketball: Attendance Increase Eighth In Nation

Men’s Basketball: Attendance Increase Eighth In Nation

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Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns men’s basketball team saw a 42 percent increase in attendance in 2010-11, ranking eighth in all of Division I basketball when compared to 2009-10 attendance figures.

The NCAA released its final attendance figures on Wednesday.

The Cajuns averaged a Sun Belt best 3,919 fans per game, an increase of 1,157 from the year before. In conference play, UL upped its attendance to a SBC leading 4,742. Four of the final six home games topped 5,000 fans, including 7,071 versus Western Kentucky and 8,066 versus Denver. Those two crowds ranked as the sixth and third largest, respectively, at the Cajundome since 2001-02.

"Our fans were the sixth man this season," UL head coach Bob Marlin said. "They deserve all the credit. They were the difference down the stretch in helping us with the streak."

The Cajuns closed out the regular season on an 11-game winning streak, which was briefly the longest active streak in the nation. It was the second longest streak in school history and set a new school mark with 10 consecutive Sun Belt victories.

UL returns seven letterwinners in 2011-12, including leading scorer and Louisiana Freshman of the Year J.J. Thomas. Marlin has already signed six newcomers, including JC transfers Odayne Clarke, Kadeem Coleby, Darnell Jackson and Alan-Michael Thompson, and high school athletes Elfird Peyton and Kentwan Smith.